In Rainbows
by QuixoticQuest
Summary: SEQUEL TO LIFE'S SONG. Kit journeys to Mars for what is truly a battle to save the lives of everyone important to him and Dairine too comes face to face with more than just her newly found feelings but the corruption of the entire planet of Wellakh...
1. Introduction and Disclaimer

**Disclaimer- I own nothing- Credit goes to Diane Duane. Though Powers know I really want to own YW. =)**

Heya All!

I know this is probably not what you want to be reading when you first go into a story but I'm not starting the sequel to "Life's Song" until Diane Duane's ninth book "A Wizard On Mars," is released.

So basically what I have here is a sneak preview of what's to come in the format of overview (it's going to be vague because I do not know exactly what will happen in AWOM).

_Preview:_

_Kit arrives on Mars to find that he not only has to accomplish more tasks than he originally planned in order to help Harran, but that it will take more than just his strength and energy to bring Nita back… if he can do it._

_Meanwhile Dairine and Roshaun have their own problems to deal with, namely that while Roshaun was gone and Dairine was looking for him, the Lone Power took over Wellakh and its people are in turmoil of the loss of the King, Roshaun's father who has been assassinated. What can two wizards do to stop the destruction and corruption of an entire planet from the inside out?_

See you all in April when book nine is released!!

-Don "QuixoticQuest" =)


	2. Prologue: Sunrise, Sunset

**Prologue:**

**Sunrise, Sunset**

_A/N- So, yeah, I changed my mind ( or rather the idea I'd gotten for this changed my mind for me) and I wrote a prologue for this story to satisfy until AWOM comes out in April. Don't get too excited (even after you read this) because the conflict is far from over. _

_DISCLAIMER: Again, I own nothing- Duane's owns all! ^_^_

_Thanks for reading! _

_-Don =)_

* * *

Sunrise. It was coming. Kadarn would not have been awakened if it were not so. Yes, it was coming. At long last the almost forgotten priest of Mars, Kadarn K'la'ach, would now see his vision coming true.

At last, the wizards had come to Mars.

* * *

Kadarn folded his arms behind his back, slowly rocking back and forth on his heels as he meditated. Unlike his fellow Martians, Kardarn had completely shaved his head and wore a simple robe over his tunic and pants. He would not join the others for meals and spent most of his time meditating. Over what, only Kadarn knew. Some doubted even the gods knew what Kadarn had to spend so much time thinking about.

"Kvash, Kadarn," They would say, using the Martian singular word form of swearing, "You spend all your time meditating, you must think you can know all that the gods do! Imran!" The exclamations would end with a word like Imran, which was a literal wording of the exasperation emotion.

Kadarn, however, cared not. He knew that he had a duty. A duty as the Guardian of Ko'rel, the sacred spirit of the realm known to wizards as Time-Heart, Kadarn meditated on what Ko'rel would finally ask of him when the wizards arrived, which by the heat changes, Kadarn could tell it was soon.

He turned his head as the heat sunk slightly to the far left of his isolated home. Then without warning a loud _bang _sounded through the air and two humans, one dog, another Martian like Kadarn, and a strange looking alien with blue skin appeared.

"Harran, what is the meaning of arriving here without forewarning?" Kadarn chided in the Martian tongue. The other Martian gave an indignant snort.

"You ask too much of me, Kadarn Shelah," Harran answered shortly, using the form of wording in Martian used for one's closest friend, who is like family.

"You ask too little of yourself. But no matter," Kadarn said and stepped over to where the visitors were standing.

He bowed, "Welcome to Mars, I am Kadarn K'la'ach Priest of Ko'rel Korek."

One of the humans raised his head a little, perspiration evident on his neck and face, "Um, Kit Rodriguez of Earth, and this is Nita Callahan," He gestured to the other human he carried in his arms.

"Dead, yes?" The Martian Priest asked, and came forward and with his brown red hands touched Nita's brow. "Indeed, it is right that you brought her here. No one else would treat a wizard as such."

Kit frowned, "Why not?"

Kadarn smiled wryly, "Because, no one else would understand the worth of using the energy of Mars to bring back a wizard, much less a human wizard."

Kit blinked, "Energy of Mars?"

Kadarn smiled, and for the first time Kit noticed that unlike Harran, who had silver eyes as was common, or so Kit read in his manual, Kadarn had rich blue eyes.

"So you noticed," Kadarn folded his arms into his sleeves, "I too am a wizard."

Kit opened his mouth then shut it as Kadarn spoke again. "A wizard directly connected with the heart of Mars."

Without a warning, Kadarn reached over and pulled Nita from Kit and started towards his house.

"Hey, wait a second!" Kit cried. Kadarn kept walking.

"You want to revive her, do you not?" Kadarn asked without breaking his step, "Then follow and obey without question."

Kit's mind whirled with a thousand questions and with reservations about Kadarn's initial intent. But Kit didn't have a choice, he'd promised to help and to do as Harran, and he guessed, now Kadarn said. Kit frowned deeply and started forward, Ponch at his heels. Ponch let out a whine.

"I know, Ponch," Kit said quietly, "I feel uneasy too."

If Mar was breathtaking on the outside, it was nothing compared to the lower level of Kadarn's house, which Kit could now guess from the intense and almost suffocating heat, was going into what Kadarn had mentioned was "the heart of Mars."

"Here," Kadarn said, and entered a room in which there was an abundance of plants, flowers, and all sorts of greenery. In addition to that there was a large hole with another stairway leading deep into the depths of something, though what Kit wasn't sure since he was confused by this whole situation in general.

"I can go no further," Kadarn said slowly, "If you are to reach into Mars' heart, then you must convince it on your own of your own connection to Time-Heart." Kadarn then passed Nita back into Kit's arms.

Kit was now even more confused than before, if that were even possible, which Kit was now positive it was. He swallowed and started down the steps, when the clacking of claws came from behind.

"No, Ponch," Kit said, turning his head around, "You stay here." Ponch gave a whine of protest. Kit smiled sympathetically. "I know, Poncho, but if this is the way, then we have to try."

"Be wary of what the darkness tells you, it does not pay to forget one's own heart while entering another," came the voice through Kit's head, the voice of the Power that was once Machu-Pichu or "Peach".

_Right, _Kit thought to himself. He kept on going down the stairs and once he'd covered ten steps his foot touched something that felt at first like water, but then at second glance, Kit noticed it was more like a frozen pool of water glass. Even that wasn't enough to describe what he was seeing or touching. The steps had faded into this glass pool and the glowing violet and blue sky above and around Kit sent shivers down Kit's spine. There was something about this place that was filled with a strange energy.

How, Kit wasn't entirely sure. He turned his head slightly to the side and blinked as a pink orb of light floated close to his elbow and then moved to touch the arm that was cradling most of Nita's weight. He looked up as the orb rose and then transformed into the shape of a lark.

"Wizard," The orb said, "You have come for a favor of me, ask."

Kit swallowed his nervousness and spoke, "I wanted to ask you to revive my friend," He gestured to Nita.

"She is dead, is she not?" The orb expanded into a larger form of the lark then shrunk again, "Why not let life die and be done. Is that not how it is supposed to go?"

Kit regarded the orb with fierce brown eyes, "I'm not sure how it's supposed to go. But I know that Nita dying isn't it."

The orb's expression changed, "Oh? What makes you so sure?"

"I just feel it, okay?" Kit answered desperately and didn't bother to hide the pain in his voice or the loneliness that had been creeping up on him in the past few hours of travel.

"Ah, love," The orb said reflectively, "I have experienced it. Many have come here and sought to revive what they thought was love. Then," Kit could have sworn he heard a sigh, but then that could just be his imagination, "It fades. Just as soon as it came, it left."

"How about someone who's never experienced it period?" Kit asked with a hint of bitterness.

The orb rotated, "Never?" It thought for a moment, "No, I have not seen anyone here who has not experience it at all. They have all lost it after a long time of living with it." The orb regarded Kit.

"Your loss, Wizard, was one of shortness," The orb continued, "There are those who would seek to have your kind of experience because it would give them wisdom," It closed its eyes, "Others would do as you are, and ask me to revive. My question, Wizard, would be if you are sure you would not regret your decision to bring her back?"

_Beware of the light, it may blind you. _The voice flooded Kit's mind and then was gone. He couldn't be sure where it was coming from but he was sure this was the darkness Peach had mentioned.

"No, I wouldn't, the thing I regret is not going after her in the first place," He said coolly.

The orb glowed brightly and Kit averted his gaze and instinctively clutched Nita towards him. The light cast the entire space in whiteness and then it turned black again.

"Make sure you have no regrets, Wizard. They are what destroy a being," The voice of the orb said. Kit then started slightly as he felt something pounding against his chest. It took him a minute to realize it was Nita's heartbeat.

"Neets?" He asked softly, but only heard the steady breathing as her chest rose and fell. "Sleeping." He smiled and then turned to look for the orb, which was no longer there. _So that was the Heart of Mars? If the world knew such a place existed, they would go crazy. I don't blame Kadarn for having his reservations._

Kit then turned on his heel and started back up the stairs. Once up at the top, Ponch greeted Kit with a shower of licks.

"Urg, Ponch, stop it," Kit said, "I wasn't gone that long."

Kadarn rose from the chair he was seated in, "On the contrary, you were gone for almost the entire day. It is now almost night."

Kit cast a look out the nearest window, "Sunset." He breathed. Then turned his head to look at Nita, who was still sleeping, he sighed in relief. She was alive.

"Are you ready for your task then, Wizard?" Kadarn questioned. Kit looked over.

"I am," He replied. Kadarn nodded.

"Good, we begin in the morning," Kadarn then led Kit to his new sleeping quarters. After a few moments, Ponch joined Kit and turned around in several circles before lying down to sleep on the rug.

Kit laid Nita down on the bed and then took one of the extra blankets and joined Ponch on the ground. At Ponch's questioning look, Kit smiled. "She needs the sleep more than I do."

_Just what did Peach mean by 'the light will blind you'? _Kit wondered as he drifted off. _Nita does need sleep more than I do. _

How wrong Kit was, he would find out in the morning.

Dairine and Roshaun arrived and much to Dairine's surprise, there wasn't anyone in the palace. Or at least no one who was particularly amiable.

One second Dairine was standing there and the next an angry voice yelled, "It's an outsider!" Two ordinarily dressed citizens ran at Dairine who had little time to react and as a result was pummeled to the ground by their weapons. Roshaun, despite his own exhaustion, reacted immediately by using a spell to send the two citizens flying.

"What is the meaning of this?" He barked at the attackers, who were now staring at Roshaun in amazement.

"Your Highness," They said in unison and bowing, "We offer our deepest apologies."

"I asked a question, I did not ask for an apology," Roshaun snapped, "Speak!"

One of the citizens raised his head, "There was an attack on the royal family, and an outsider was responsible."

"Attack?" Roshaun repeated. "What happened?"

"Someone set a bomb, Your Majesty, someone that everyone trusted, so there are no clues as to who killed your father."

"Killed my father?" Roshaun repeated dubiously then swallowed hard. He glared at the citizens. "Take me to my mother. I must speak with her," Then he turned and knelt next to Dairine, "Dairine, are you alright?"

Dairine lifted her face, which was covered in cuts and bruises, "I'll live." She muttered and pushed herself up.

"She requires medical attention," Roshaun stated, "Immediately, bring a team of medical specialists to my mother's chamber." Roshaun then started walking away, Dairine limped beside him.

"Are you sure you are well enough to walk?" Roshaun asked.

"I'm fine," Dairine replied flatly. He frowned.

"Do you simply hate me or just find it necessary to obstruct every effort I make to be nice?" Roshaun asked.

"Neither," Dairine answered curtly, "I find it annoying that when I'm clearly not in the best condition people continue to ask me if I'm okay."

Roshaun thought about that, "That is a practical reason. I understand."

"You do?" Dairine asked incredulously. Roshaun nodded, his eyes brightly shining in the light of the day.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," After a moment Roshaun turned to the citizens, "Call the guards and ask them to summon transportation, we need to hasten to see my mother."

"Yes, My Lord," The citizens answered quickly and then got up and rushed away. Soon enough a transport was there and it took them straight to the former Queen's chamber. Roshaun greeted his mother and she embraced her son in the only way a mother who had lost her only child and then gotten him back could.

"Thank you, Dairine," The Queen said, inclining her head to Dairine who blushed sheepishly.

"It's nothing," She said, trying not to look at Roshaun who was giving her a rare smile.

"No, truly, after losing my husband, having my son return is truly a gift," The Queen regarded Roshaun, whose face was pale.

"Mother, what happened to Father?" Roshaun asked sternly. Dairine twitched at the pain she heard in Roshaun's voice. She had the feeling that this wasn't going to be the end of the trouble on Wellakh.

In this case, Dairine sincerely hoped she was wrong.

**A/N- Okay, so I got this idea for a prologue so change of plans for the story (slightly) and yes, Nita is alive! Woohoo!! Sleeping- but alive. This is just the start of what will continue in April but since I'd gotten this idea I thought I'd post the prologue anyways. Hope you enjoyed this and see you in April (I pre-ordered my book from so it'll come right away). More one-shots are on the way, so hang in there! ^_^**


	3. Shatterpoint

**Chapter 1**

**Shatterpoint**

_A/N- Hey All!! Long time no see, huh? Well, I've got nothing but good news. I'll start with the first and foremost of the good news: I received Young Wizards Book Nine "A Wizard of Mars" in at the end of last week and I've read it cover to cover already. I paced myself so I didn't finish it all in one day (I could have since I was reading it over the weekend) but it's all read and I've got some ideas brewing for this here fan fic. So, that actually covers good news part two: that I've got ideas working in my brain for the fic instead of having writer's block. Yay!! _

_Good news part three is that I'm going to attend the book signing for (you guessed it) book nine in New York on April 24__th__!!! _

_The last and final bit of good news is that I'm back and ready to update this here fic as often as I can. Mind I do have my Star Wars series running at the same time so if I don't update one day it's probably because of that or because of my college homework. _

_Lastly I feel it's necessary to give a warning before this chapter starts:_

_**CAUTION!!! THIS STORY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR YOUNG WIZARDS BOOK NINE "A WIZARD OF MARS." IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOK NINE AND DO NOT LIKE SPOILERS- DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNTIL YOU HAVE READ BOOK NINE. SPOILERS AHEAD!!! HEED THE WARNING!!!! THANK YOU!!! **_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but my computer._

_Dai, Cousins! _

_-Don =) _

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"_Your death now would only serve to upset the balance."_

"_No." _

"_Nita!!" _

_The pain was unbearable. But it was over in seconds. Time-Heart. There's always Time-Heart. _

Nita heaved a deep breath as she took the plunge from the dark space. Even though she had felt herself leave as soon as the Lone Power's blast had hit her, she was still able to hear the voices of the people around her body. Roshaun was screaming and she could almost feel the anger radiating off of his voice. Polliagdor was saying something to someone that Nita had to take a moment to hear and then she was sure her heart had cracked. _Dairine. _ Her sister was there and her voice told Nita that Dairine knew Nita was dead. Nita also noted the sound of Ponch, the finder, and then felt cold dread and hurt rising in her chest. If Ponch was there then-

"Greetings and defiance!" Nita heard Kit say. The pain in his voice was evident. It was harsh and determined, a tone she'd never hoped to hear from him. It literally sent a stabbing feeling right through her, a feeling worse than the one when the Lone Power had struck her down. Why was she still able to feel these things if she was dead? Why wasn't she numb?

_Time-Heart knows pain. It's not life but it's not death either._

Nita turned her head to look for the source of the voice but saw nothing in the blank white space around her. Was she truly in Time-Heart?

_You should know. You've been there before._

It was wizardry. Wizardry was speaking to Nita.

_It took you long enough to notice you could speak to me directly. _

Nita scowled, "Cut me some slack. How was I supposed to know you could talk back?"

_Living things can speak to you, therefore so can I. _

Nita considered this and then nodded, "Touche," She then paused before posing the question that had been on her mind for a while, "What name do you go by?"

If wizardry could seem bemused it was certainly embodying that quality as it replied, _What name would you like me to have?_

Nita smirked, "Bobo."

_Cute. _

"I think it is," Nita said indignantly and then turned her head to the side to gaze at the endless white abyss she was suspended in. It wasn't anything like the Lone Power's world she'd been in before coming to the white abyss but it didn't feel like anything except for a pain, and it wasn't just any pain, it was the kind of pain that came forth when she felt like she was losing something important. Like losing her mother, only the loss was strange because she was the one who had died.

_Supposedly, _Bobo said, _You seem to have missed the most important detail about your life so far._

Nita felt a stab of anger hit her as she whirled on Bobo, "Really, I think I know my life pretty well."

_Not well enough, it seems. _

"What in the name of the Powers is that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

_Since you know already, why should I tell you? _Bobo asked and Nita noted from the fact that Bobo was wizardry itself and not only that, her version of wizardry, Bobo could hardly lie to her.

She let out a long sigh, "I guess I already knew I'd miss my life sometime."

_And?_

"Don't push me," Nita said shortly to Bobo and it laughed as she refocused her attention and cupped her chin in her hand as she thought hard.

_I believe the moment you were hit by the Lone Power should have shown you something. _

Nita turned her head in confusion, "What's that?"

"You're not dead."

Nita then felt a searing pain before her eyes shot open and she let out a short gasp of breath and then restrained a scream before turning to notice that she wasn't in the Lone Power's world or in the white abyss.

_I told you._

"Shut up, Bobo," Nita muttered and sat up, slowly noticing that she wasn't alone in the small room. Kit lay a few feet away from her on the floor near the bed she was reclined on.

Another pain slammed her and this time the suddenness prevented her from restraining the small frightened cry that escaped her lips. In an instant she found a pair of chocolate eyes inches away from her gray. For a moment Kit didn't say anything but then gave Nita a short regard of concern that she wasn't sure how to respond to.

"What happened?" He finally said. Nita shook her head.

"I don't know," She replied. Kit's eyes narrowed.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" Kit asked, his voice almost tentative, a tone Nita had never heard from him until now.

"I remember telling the Lone Power to shove its plan up its ass and then I don't really remember too much after that," Nita said, attempting a small joke to lighten up the situation. Kit's mouth twitched slightly into a wry smile before he sat back on his hands with a tired sigh.

"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" Nita questioned. Kit turned his head towards her and then shook his head.

"I didn't until a few minutes ago," He replied in a barely audible tone, "I drifted off right before you woke up." The clear relief in his tone told Nita everything she needed to know. She could tell that Kit had probably thought, despite what Nita knew from her own experience with Bobo in the white abyss, that Nita had truly been dead.

"Kit," Nita said in a quiet voice. He shook his head fervently.

"You have no idea what that did to me," Kit said, his voice shaking as he spoke. "Seeing you dead," The words almost didn't come out but once they did, Kit's voice cracked completely and he fell silent once more. This wasn't the conversation she'd imagined having with Kit once she'd finally gotten to see him again. Since she'd gone into the Lone Power's world it had seemed like year since she'd clapped eyes on Kit and now she wasn't even sure what to say to him. It was a strange feeling since she'd known Kit for almost ten years and they had been through more life endangering situations that any average person would care to go through and never had they faltered. Yet here Nita was wondering exactly what it was that was preventing her from saying anything to Kit, her best friend and wizardry partner for the past seven, eight years of her their lives.

To her surprise Kit's mouth formed a smile, "That's a first," He gave a small chuckle, "Me rendering you silent."

Nita found her voice right then, "Yeah, right. Like you ever stop talking."

"That makes two of us," Kit raised an eyebrow at her before Nita shrugged off the comment.

"If it helps you to sleep at night, then sure, go ahead and believe that lie," Nita shot him a challenging smirk before they both started laughing together. After a few minutes Kit rubbed the back of his neck, only now glancing at Nita and noticing something he hadn't before.

_Wow, Nita's- _He shook his head. _Cute? No, that's not even enough. She's just, wow. _Kit was amazed now by his own lack of adjectives to describe his best friend.

"A penny for your thoughts," Nita said, breaking Kit's reverie. "I saw that look. What's going on with you?" She gave him a glare when he started to say 'nothing' and he fell silent. "Don't tell me it's nothing. We went over this before, if you want my help asking her out why didn't you just say so?"

Kit inwardly cursed in English and outwardly muttered something in Spanish. It was hardly what he'd call a collected response since his bilingual skills had split literally down the middle. "I don't want you to help me ask her out." He said in frustration. Nita blinked and then scowled deeply. Kit sighed, knowing he'd approached this in the wrong way once more.

"Why not?" Nita demanded.

"Because if you did it'd be pointless," Kit answered, again berating himself for not just outright saying what he wanted to.

Nita's brow went up at that, "Oh?" Kit gulped. He knew that look. It was the one she'd get right before she snapped. _Crap, what did I get myself into? This isn't the reunion I had in mind. I didn't want to piss her off! _Kit thought and outwardly let his head sink into his hands. Nita immediately noticed how stressed he looked and let her anger subside for a moment. "Is she really that important to you?" Kit looked at Nita and then nodded silently. "Okay, then I'll let you tell her yourself." She smiled at him and turned her head away only to return her gaze when he spoke her name.

"Nita," Kit rested his brown eyes on her and he took in Nita's storm grey eyes, her casual sense of fashion and her wonderfully vibrant face. It was always amazing to look at no matter how many times he had already seen her face it always stunned him to see how delicately shaped her features were despite how tough she was inside and out.

It was a vulnerability that Kit both appreciated and worried about. After Nita's mother died he had seen Nita break down only once in front of him but that was enough to make him promise to himself never to allow that to happen again. He wanted nothing more than to see Nita's mother alive so he could see Nita smile like she used to but it seemed like Nita was stubbornly accepting of the death and thus shouldering her hurt on her own.

He felt guilty that he hadn't been there for her right when the pain was setting in the most. Kit had gone off on his own wizardry quest to find Darryl and left Nita alone when she probably needed someone to talk to even if she wouldn't admit it out loud.

"She's the most important person to me," Kit said without even thinking about what he was saying. But this time he decided to let his subconscious flow through instead of stopping himself. "My best friend."

Nita opened her mouth and then shut it as his words hit her. "Who-?" She blurted and then fell silent as confusion set in. She stared at him. "You're kidding."

"I'm surprised you didn't notice," Kit replied with an amused smile. Nita grunted.

"How was I supposed to know? You may be bad at lying, Christopher Rodriguez but you're even worse at giving hints."

He wrinkled his nose, "I was being subtle."

"That wasn't being _subtle_, Kit, you were being outright vague," Nita said, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance.

Kit narrowed his eyes, "I could have sworn 'Mela said I was an open book."

"And you took her word for it?" Nita asked, surprised. "For the record it's always better to just say these things."

Kit turned his eyes on her, "Really? Then let's hear you say it if it's that easy." He nodded, "Go on."

Nita blinked, "What?"

"You said it's better to say it out loud. If it's that easy why don't you say it first?"

"Hold on a second-" Nita said, holding up her hands but only found herself trying to talk while Kit's lips were on hers. After that all thoughts went out of her head and she could almost hear Bobo laughing in the far reaches of her mind. When Kit pulled away she gave him a stern look.

"That still doesn't count."

"Jeez, what do you want me to do?" Kit asked. "Most girls would just flip at being kissed."

"Are you implying I _have _to be like other girls?" Nita asked, her voice dangerously low. Kit shook his head. _There's no way I'd think that. Ever. _When Kit looked up at Nita once more her expression told him she'd heard his thought.

"I wouldn't ever imply such a thing," Kit said, "For obvious reasons." He gave her a knowing look. She looked thoughtful for a second before responding.

"Such as?"

"Do I have to?" He asked. Nita gave him a strange look.

"You make it sound like it's a death sentence," Nita said in an amused tone. She raised her brow at him.

"It's embarrassing," Kit said defiantly.

Nita looked at him incredulously. Kit, who wasn't ever intimidated or afraid of anything and who hadn't ever let anything, even a wizardry ban, stop him from doing something was scared. _I think the world just boiled over, _Nita thought with amazement. "So?" She replied, "You just kissed me and you think saying something is embarrassing?" When he didn't budge she sighed and rubbed her forehead before asking, "You want me to start?" Once more she didn't get much of a response out him other than a simple nod. She turned as the whistling of Ponch's snore sounded nearby. She smiled as she noticed Kit's gaze resting on his dog. Kit had clearly missed Ponch and she knew how crushed he'd been when Ponch had moved on to be the Finder. Even though Kit was happy for his dog's progress, the hurt was obvious. There wasn't a certainty of whether or not Ponch would be able to stay after he was done with whatever he needed to accomplish. What that was, Nita couldn't be sure.

"Alright," She said, sitting cross legged on the bed and gestured for Kit to join her. He stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, an almost apprehensive expression on his face as he waited for Nita to begin. "First, I think you need to just hear me out when I say this so no interruptions until I'm done, okay?" He nodded, wondering what it was she was planning to say to him. He had some idea since she'd been trying to get him to say exactly what he felt but it was still a little unnerving to think about what she'd say since he knew she was going to say exactly how she felt about him and since Nita was honest and straightforward he was sure she'd say everything she thought no matter what it was.

"Kit, stop giving me that look, there's nothing about you that I think is bad, so relax," Nita said when she noticed how tense he was. Kit blinked as he realized that he'd been shifting nervously. "I think I'll start by saying that you've always been more about what you're thinking than I have but at the same time I know that's part of who you are so I wouldn't change that for the world. I don't really want to simplify this but I think it might be better just explain it," She sighed. "Kit, you're the only person I know who doesn't expect me to change who I am and expects nothing less of me than my best. You've always stood by me and even though we've had our fair share of arguments, you've come through. I'm not sure thank you is enough to express what I feel," She shook her head, "Because it's not," She paused and then rested her head in her hands as she shook her head, "Kit, I feel like such an idiot."

"What-?" Kit started and Nita held up a hand but he continued, "You're not an idiot. You're the furthest thing from idiotic. You're always the one with brilliant ideas and you're better at handling things than I could ever be. I don't know if I'd have survived half of our wizardries without you there."

Nita took her turn to fall silent as his words washed over her. "Honestly, I don't even know where you got the idea that you're even remotely idiotic."

Nita gave him a wry smile, "If you heard half the things I say," She shook her head, "Or don't say, you'd agree with me."

"Normally I'd agree with you but in this case I have to disagree," He replied with a laugh. "Yes, you might say some things you didn't want to or mean to but I can't say I'd leave just because you said something a little silly."

"Or stupid."

"Neets," Kit groaned. Nita had to laugh at that. He was trying to be a good sport and tell her not everything she said was stupid and was covering it up with 'silly' but she was letting her stubborn side get the better of her.

"I got it, don't worry," Nita said with a grin. Kit mock glared at her for teasing him and then sighed.

"I think I'm the idiot," Kit said. Nita raised her brow.

"How do you figure that?"

"Maybe because I've gone to the trouble of staying with you no matter what adventure our wizardry takes us on but none of those times I've actually admitted to myself, let alone you what I actually thought or felt during those times," Nita nodded for Kit to continue, indicating that she wouldn't interrupt him. Kit recomposed himself before continuing "I was afraid during the song of twelve. Not just because it was a dangerous spell but because I knew deep down that once you took the oath you would have to go through with it. I couldn't do anything and it hurt. I might have said that much but I didn't realize until afterwards how close I was to losing you altogether. I couldn't live with that. Not even then when we were still just getting to know each other. I don't think there was ever a time that I didn't care about you after we met. I felt like life wasn't worth half the laughs or the strain when you weren't around. I knew that and I still didn't admit to myself that I'd honestly loved you from the beginning." Kit let out a long breath and could hear his heart thudding in his chest as he met Nita's eyes, which were wide but understanding.

"I love you," He repeated. "I don't know what took me so long to say that but as soon as I saw you in the Lone Power's world, dead, I thought I'd lost the chance to tell you." His shoulders immediately began to shake but stopped as Nita placed a hand over his.

"I don't think you're the only one who took too long, Kit," Nita said and then kissed him lightly on the lips. "I probably should have said something. I just thought you liked someone else."

"Not possible," Kit said with a smirk. "You kind of knocked my socks off from day one."

"So you don't mind if I tell you I love you?" Nita asked, smirking now too.

"As much as you want," He said, gesturing with his hand for her to go ahead and his brown eyes glowed with a new life.

"I love you," Nita said but didn't get any further as Kit was already kissing her without hesitation. She pushed him back.

"I thought you said you were going to let me talk?" She gave him a knowing look. He shrugged.

"I changed my mind," Kit grinned from ear to ear and Nita took her turn to shrug.

"No complaints from me," She answered but before she could lean in the door to the room slid open and Kadarn appeared in the doorway. His expression was just a few creases short of furious and his eyes fixated on Kit.

"The Heart of Mars was shattered," Kadarn said. Kit swallowed hard. This was definitely not his fault. But Kadarn's expression said otherwise. _This is going to be bad._


	4. Different Strokes

**Chapter 2**

**Different Strokes**

_A/N- Hey, Everyone. I know I've taken longer than I originally promised to update and for that I am eternally sorry. *Offers head for smacking* _

_I was busy with end of term projects, papers, a three week long college class at the SAIC (from 9am to 4:30PM), traveling a bit with my dad and brothers who were on a bike trip around the U.S., my other series, writer's block, supporting friends who needed me to help them, and there you have my reasons for not updating right away._

_That was all a while back I (during the summer) and I've been up to my ears until Winter Break with end of term projects for my sophomore year (and let me tell you, they aren't going easy on us like they did last year- which wasn't easy to begin with). _

_I have worked hard to make this update long since it's been a while since my last update, so I hope that its length will at least begin to make up for my delay in postings. _

_I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday and I shall see you all at the next update (or any of my other YW fics). =)_

_PS- I would have gotten this up earlier, but my internet was down for most of Tuesday. _

_Best,_

_-Don ^_^_

_

* * *

_

Kit looked over at Nita, who was looking more and more bewildered by the minute as Kadarn glared at Kit.

"The heart of Mars? What is he talking about, Kit?" Nita questioned and then she turned her head to see that Kit was slowly making his way towards the doorway. "Kit?"

"It's what brought you back to life," Kit said in a low tone. Machu Pichu and the Heart of Mars had both warned Kit about the consequences of bringing someone back to life, but Kit didn't think that it would result in the death of the Heart of Mars. Just bringing Nita back couldn't have shattered the heart on its own.

"How do you know it's my fault?" Kit asked, or rather demanded of the martian. Kadarn scowled deeply.

"I know because you were the last one to see the heart before it was found in complete darkness today," Kadarn eyed Nita. "The life of the heart of Mars was exchanged for that of your friend." Nita's eyes went wide and Kit moved instinctively in front of her.

"Don't you dare blame Nita for this," Kit growled. Nita placed a hand on Kit's shoulder.

"It's okay, Kit," Nita said.

"Okay?" He snapped, turning around to face her, "What's 'okay' about this?"

"You didn't read the fine print, Kit," Nita said in a sober tone. "To bring me back, the heart of Mars had to be lost." Kit jawed and looked from Kadarn to Nita and back again.

"How was I supposed to know that that was the price?" Kit asked. Nita sighed.

"Didn't you pay attention during the Song of Twelve, Kit?" Nita asked, folding her arms across her chest. "You need to give something to get something in return. I survived the song because Ed died, remember? If I was revived, something else had to die in my place."

_That was an amazing deduction, _Bobo said in Nita's mind. Nita would have glared at her version of wizardry if it actually had a physical form. Kadarn looked curiously at Nita as her face frowned in thought.

_This human,_ Kadarn thought, _Can she be? _He shook his head. There was no way that she could be the girl from the myths passed down from martian generation to generation. She wasn't nearly old enough or the right kind of person. Kadarn was sure of that much.

"Cousins," Kadarn said in an attempt to placate the two humans, "I only wish to know what happened in the Heart of Mars and why it shattered. If you could tell me what you did, I will be able to discern if you are responsible. So explain, Cousin Kit, in the speech if you please."

Kit took a deep breath and hoped to the Powers that Nita wouldn't hate him for anything that happened after he told his story, "I went down there and told the Heart of Mars that I wanted Nita brought back, because I…" He averted his eyes from Kadarn, "I hadn't experienced love yet and now I'm in love with her."

Kadarn lifted an eyebrow at that and looked sideways over at Nita, who despite the fact that she'd already heard Kit say he loved her, the words still had a strange effect on her.

_Beware of the light, it may blind you. _

"I didn't heed the warnings that I heard when I was asking the heart to revive Nita," Kit said, "I should have thought about it more."

"Warnings?" Kadarn repeated. "What in the name of the gods do you mean?"

"He means that he heard the voice of one the powers," Nita glanced over at Kit, "Don't you, Kit?" She gave him a stern and knowing look to which he nodded slowly. Kadarn's eyes widened in fascination and admiration as he nodded, rubbing his chin.

"Yes, yes, this is as the gods would have it," Kadarn looked over at Nita and then at Kit, "What did the Powers command of you?"

"Well, it was more of a riddle, actually," Kit said, "It said 'beware of the light, it may blind you.'" Kadarn's eyes lit with a strange thoughtfulness as he pondered over the words. While Kadarn was preoccupied, Nita crossed over to where Kit was standing.

_Why didn't you tell me you asked the Heart of Mars to revive me? _She said through their mind-talk.

_I didn't want to worry you,_ Kit answered. Nita sighed outwardly.

_Well, as much as I appreciate your chivalry, I think it backfired, _She said with a wry smile. Kit nodded. He didn't want to tell her, but he had the feeling that Kadarn was taking the whole situation quite well and Kit also had the feeling that the Martian wasn't going to withhold his anger for much longer. There were only so many ways to stall wrath when it was at its peak and nearing a bursting point.

"Regardless," Kadarn said abruptly, steeling his gaze at Kit, "You were the only one around the Heart before it died. This planet cannot exist without one." He cast a long stare out the window. "It will not be long before the others arrive."

"Others?" Kit's insides seized. It was worse than he expected. If Kadarn was the most reasonable of all the Martians, then there was little to no chance that Kit and Nita would make it out of Mars without complications.

"Look, Kadarn, we're sorry about the Heart, but Kit didn't do anything," Nita said, stepping forward. "He's not the first to revive someone, so how can you blame him for this?" She paused for a second and it occurred to her that she didn't actually know for sure if Kit was the first to ask. Somehow she had the feeling that they weren't the first, but assumptions, especially as a wizard, were always dangerous.

"He may not have been the first to ask," Kadarn said coolly, "But he was the first human to ask." So that was it? Just because Kit was human he was going to get blamed for killing the Heart of Mars? He was invited to ask the Heart of Mars for help and now he would likely be blacklisted or worse. Nita was banking on the latter as the likelier choice of the two. But she wasn't about to wait to see if her hunch was correct. She grabbed Kit's arm and with a prompt beam-me-up-scotty spell that was like breathing for the two of them they disappeared.

Kadarn simply stood there for a second, staring at the space where the two human wizards had been moments before and only looked up when he felt the air shift once again.

"Where are the infidels, Kadarn?" The other Martian stepped forward so he was out of Kadarn's blind-spot. This one wore a dark robe with a silver circle inscribed on the back and the left side of the front. Behind him were Martians dressed in the same black robes and all had swords in their belts.

"They just disappeared," Kadarn stated. The other Martian gritted his teeth.

"You let them escape?" He demanded of the priest.

"That is not what I said, Eliach," Kadarn said and for the first time there was clear anger and irritation in his eyes. "You are mistaken about them, Eliach. They did not kill the Heart."

"Tch, what would you know?" Eliach said, waving his hand, "We will go after the infidels and bring them to trial."

"I warn you, Eliach, the gods will not like you committing justice on their behalf," Kadarn said, but the air once again changed and the robed Martians were gone. "I fear the wizards of our time are gravely misguided."

* * *

Kit tumbled out onto the ground as the air exploded in dust clouds around him. He rolled sideways only to strike something sharp. He winced and looked down at his legs. There were cuts all over them, bleeding droplets onto the ground. He sighed. This didn't usually happen with a beam-me-up-scotty spell. But Nita had hurriedly performed one without consulting him so he considered himself lucky that they were alive at all. He glanced over his shoulder. Nita lay several feet in front of him, her arms extended as they tried to push her body up. One of them shook and she collapsed back onto the ground.

"Nita!" Kit pushed himself up and skidded to a stop at her side. "What happened?" She lifted her head and the grimace on her face was plain as day. He crouched down next to her.

"I had everything right, but I guess I didn't have enough energy to get us out of there," She said with a sigh.

"That was stupid, Neets," Kit said with a frown, "You could have killed yourself in your condition."

She scoffed, "I can't not use magic, Kit, those Martians aren't too far behind us." He grunted.

"It won't make any difference if you're dead," He stated and Nita decided to leave it at that. He was impossible to talk to, let alone argue with, in these kinds of moods.

He eased her arm over his shoulders and lifted her onto her feet, "You leave the spells to me until you're completely healed." Nita decided she would wait to argue with him. At the moment she barely had the strength to stand up on her own. It was annoying to feel so useless and to put all the pressure of getting of their current mess on Kit's shoulders. They didn't even know where they were really. She'd beamed them out of their location in such a hurry that she hadn't thought about where it would land them.

She turned to take in her surroundings. They were still on Mars as far as she could tell from the dry, cracked, red earth below them. Except for some strange reason there was a forest of trees, bushes, and even a small river running through all the forestry.

"This doesn't make any sense," Kit said as he stared at the river. "Mars is too dry and hot to have these kinds of things." Nita nodded. It certainly wasn't logical to have life on a planet like Mars. Everything in their science classes would have denied any such possibility. Yet here it was.

"I wonder if this is because of wizardry," She said with a small frown of concentration. He paused and then nodded in silent agreement. Wizardry had taught them that nothing was impossible and that the universe was connected in ways that would otherwise seem unfathomable.

Here it was in front of them: the proof that wizardry bridged the gap between impossible and improbable. _I would get moving if I were you._

"We know, Bobo," Nita said. Kit turned his head slightly. He was still getting used to Nita talking to herself when she was the only one who could hear her wizardry. "Kit."

"Yeah," He nodded. He'd felt the change in the air. Mars seemed to have more awareness of its wizardry and thus changed its conditions when wizardry was in use. How or why was still a mystery. Kit began drawing together the syllables for the spell and with a whoosh of cold air they disappeared once more.

* * *

Dairine let out a low sigh. Even though she'd traveled thousands upon thousands of miles to Wellakh with Roshaun, she still felt like she was being left out of the loop. While he talked endlessly with his mother in his own tongue, she was left to sit on the stiff extravagant couch in the reception room as per Roshaun's insistence that this was a "family matter." She wanted to help and by the Powers she knew she could. No one was better at moving planets than she and not even Nita could boast her accomplishments like Dairine could.

Still she was stuck doing nothing while Roshaun talked about Powers knew what with his mother. It seemed like they were intensely affected by the King's death. Dairine understood. After all, she'd lost her mother not too long ago. The door clicked and her head went up to see Roshaun walking through the doors, looking none too pleased.

"I take it your mom grounded you," Dairine said and when Roshaun remained silent she sighed. "Look, Roshaun, I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I know how you feel."

"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Roshaun said in a tone bordering on incredulous anger.

"Because my mother is dead, that's how," Dairine stated plainly but with a scowl. "So don't give me that 'nobody understands me' crap. I don't buy it."

"Buy?" Roshaun asked, raising an eyebrow. "I do not believe I was selling you anything, Dairine."

"Yeah, well, good for you," Dairine muttered. He was clearly not as up to date on colloquialisms as he claimed. Roshaun didn't say anything for a moment then he turned to look at Dairine, who was now in an even surlier mood than before.

"My mother wishes for me to attend the war meeting," He said. Dairine glanced up. "She did not want you to know this because it is a matter of my planet and not yours. But you helped me, so I believe you should know that much at least."

Dairine nodded. Finally someone was keeping her informed. The whole in the dark thing was definitely not working at all. "Great, so you're going to war and I'm stuck here."

"You are not," Roshaun said, "You may leave whenever you wish." He made to summon one of the servants but Dairine stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"No, you don't understand," She said, "This is my fight too. The moment you came to my house for the exchange program you involved me in it. I'm not backing out until it's over."

Roshaun blinked and then stared curiously at her, "I do not believe I have ever met anyone so stubborn."

"Yeah, well, get used to it because my entire family is like that," Dairine said with a small sigh. Roshaun nodded and silently made a mental note not to get into any arguments with Dairine's sister or father. If they were anything like Dairine, they would be impossible to reason with.

"My Lord, it is time," One of the servants said with a bow. Roshaun started away and stopped when he noticed that Dairine wasn't following.

"Are you not coming or is the great Dairine afraid of a war conference?" He had to mask his surprise when she punched him squarely in the chest. The servant let out a gasp.

"You wish," She stated and walked right past him. The servant rushed over to Roshaun.

"Are you alright, My Lord? Shall I summon a doctor? I will order her arrest immediately, Sire," The servant said. Roshaun shook his head.

"No, none of that is necessary, you may leave," He waved his hand and watched Dairine as she strode, head held high, down the hallway. For some reason she seemed to blend in with her surroundings despite her torn Earth garments. He smiled to himself. This was going to be an interesting conference.


	5. Time Awaits

**Chapter 3**

**Time Awaits **

_A/N- Dai Stiho, Cousins! I apologize for taking forever in updating when I said I would (months ago). . I'm sorry! There were cookies! And bananas! They wouldn't let me update! _

_Actually that's only half true. _

_Anyways, the real reason I haven't been around is because of my college work and because I'm working on transferring from my current college. I want to do more writing and my current college isn't able to provide it. I'm hoping that if I do transfer I'll be able to improve my writing (both in original and fan fiction). Let's keep our fingers crossed. _

_Without any further ado, here is the next chapter of "In Rainbows." _

_This has been,_

_-Don "QuixoticQuest" ^_^_

* * *

Kit came back to the cool shade of the tree and sat down with a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Even with the protective air bubble around him, the heat of the planet still got to him.

"Well, I put up some spells so we'll know if they're approaching," He said. "It should give us some time to think of what we're going to do next." Nita looked at him, wondering if he really believed that they could run from the Martians forever.

"Kit, they're going to keep coming after us," She said. He turned to stare at her, his mouth open slightly. "We can't run forever."

"So what are you saying?" He asked tentatively, "You want to go back there?" His tone was creeping into one of anger and incredulity, but he held back most of it so he could give Nita the benefit of the doubt. He knew her well enough to know that she didn't just say things that didn't make sense for no apparent reason. Even if they really _didn't _make any sense no matter how he looked at it, he forced himself to listen. Or maybe the heat was just having a weird effect on his brain.

"If you've got a plan, Neets, I'd love to hear it," He said, raising an eyebrow at her. She turned with a sigh.

"You know I haven't got a plan," She said, "I'm just stating a fact." He groaned and ran a hand through his sweaty bangs. This was an impossible situation and it wasn't helping matters any that she was giving him such a cute frown.

_Crap, _He smacked himself in the forehead, _This isn't working. I can't be an unbiased judge around her. _

"Relax," He looked up sharply to see her hand was now over his.

"What-?" He couldn't help but frown as soon as Nita's lips left his, though he couldn't honestly say he disliked being kissed, he still didn't like it when she used it to get him to something.

"That wasn't fair," Kit said. She shrugged.

"Life isn't fair."

"Glad to know that you're sympathetic," Kit muttered, but couldn't help but smile despite himself. She then laid back, causing him to look at her concernedly.

"Are you okay?" Nita waved her hand.

"I'm fine, just tired," As if to prove her point, a yawn escaped her. It wasn't surprising as she had just woken up from being dead and now she had been running non-stop from a group of angry Martians. Such was the life of a wizard. Yet Kit had to wonder if he was distinctly missing something.

"I still think we should go back." He blinked.

"I'm sorry, am I going crazy or did you miss the part where you almost died back there?" Kit asked, folding his arms across his chest. She sighed and sat up.

"It's pretty standard for us."

"What, you dying?" Kit blurted incredulously. She laughed and shook her head.

"No, getting into life threatening situations," Nita pulled her knees up and draped her arms around them. He paused for a second and he found he couldn't really argue with her statement. It was true that every time they conducted wizardry it seemed like something or someone was out to get one or both of them.

On a few of the occasions it was Nita who suffered the most, though. In the Song of Twelve it was Nita who signed over her life and later it was Nita's mother who died despite Nita's own efforts to stop death. But as a wizard she soon understood that not even wizardry could stop the course of life.

All it could do was stall it for a while.

Kit looked sidelong at her. Her face was sober and her eyes were focused on the dry, cracked ground in front of her. Maybe she was right. Maybe there really wasn't anything they could do to evade the Martians forever. A wizard's job wasn't to run from danger, no, it was to protect the rest of the galaxy from harm.

It seemed like a thankless task, but it wasn't one Kit would give up, not for the world. He couldn't imagine a world without wizardry, when that was the exact reason why Nita was there at all. _Someday_, Kit thought_, I'm going to have to ask Mr. Callahan how he made it this far by himself. _

"Alright, Neets, you tell me," He said with a sigh, "What do we do now?" She turned her eyes to him, confusion lit in them. He was normally so argumentative that it was odd to see him asking her what they were going to do.

"Well, for starters," She said with a scowl, "You can tell me who you are and what you've done with Kit Rodriguez." He rolled his eyes at her. Then she smiled and shook her head. "I think we should give them a chance to talk to us."

"And I think you're nuts," Kit said evenly. "What makes you think they won't just kill us then and there?"

"Because that's not what wizards do, Kit," She replied.

"Yeah, but these aren't just any wizards, they're angry wizards," He replied, "And I just destroyed the heart of their planet." Kit glanced over towards the direction of the tiny dust clouds rolling across the ground. "If it's me they want, I'm the one who should go back and talk to them." If Nita had a verbal response, he didn't listen long enough to hear it after her fist connected with his arm.

"Ow," He glared at her, "What did you do that for?"

"You're going to go back on your own, my butt," Nita said with a hollow laugh, "Who was the one who said he couldn't take it when I was dead."

"That was different."

"How?" Nita demanded, "If I'm here or there, we're still better off together than not. Haven't you gotten that through your head by now?"

Kit rubbed his arm, "I'm starting to." He silently wondered if she was planning to hit him in the head to follow up with that statement. In anticipation he lowered his head and moved away from her a little.

"Good," She said with an approving nod, "Then we'll stay here for a while to rest before we head back."

Kit couldn't help but shake his head, "Nita, I can't help but feel this is a really bad idea," He looked down, "I don't want to lose you. Again." Her hand squeezed his and he looked her in the eye.

"You won't," She said firmly, "Not forever anyways."

"Time-heart?" Kit said in a quiet tone. She nodded. "I guess it's better than nothing."

"It's more than you think," Nita said with a ragged sigh. "It may not be life, but it's a beautiful place. And I know now isn't my time to go there. Not now." Kit heard the pain in her tone. He could sense, somehow, that she was talking about her mother in that statement. Who else would she want to see in Time-heart?

"Okay," He said with a nod and then smiled as he squeezed her hand back. "Okay."

* * *

Dairine didn't like the way the stuffy people in the council dressed any more than she liked what they were talking about. They spent too much time bowing and scraping in respect to one another and it was clear that none of them actually liked what the others were saying.

She resisted the urge, against her moral standards, to tell them that they were all being morons. It wouldn't do any good anyways. She was sure that Roshaun, in his own way, would set them straight. She just hoped he'd do it soon before she snapped and did something she'd regret later on for reasons she couldn't fathom at the moment.

"I beg your highness's pardon, but there is no need for us to join the war of outsiders," One of the council members said. Dairine sighed.

"I respectfully disagree, Counselor," Roshaun stated, "And I am ruler here, not you." The counselor sat back, clearly taken aback by Roshaun's abrupt dismissal. _Finally, _Dairine thought with approval.

"Then what does your highness recommend we do?" The counselor asked, clearly feigning his respect for Roshaun and finally breaking Dairine's patience boundary.

"Look," She snapped, "If you actually care about your planet at all, you'll listen to what Roshaun has to say. Because despite how he looks, he knows what he's talking about." At that all the council members fell silent and turned to stare at Dairine, who, aside from being annoyed at the counselor's comment, looked completely unperturbed by the fact that she was now the center of all attention in the room. Roshaun didn't look at her, but she could tell from his eyes that he was going to have something to say about her sudden outburst.

Not that she cared. The meeting went on and Roshaun managed to plot out plans for the next meeting, which would be focused on war plans. As all the members filed out, Roshaun stepped over to where she stood and gave her a small smile.

"I appreciated your show of faith in me back there," He said with an inclination of his head. Dairine shrugged.

"Whatever, you needed to show those bozos who was boss," She said. He frowned slightly then.

"However, I'm confused about the comment about my appearance," He raised an eyebrow, "What is that is questionable?"

Dairine's eyes widened and then she grinned, "Should I start with the obvious parts?"

Roshaun blinked. "Obvious?"

"Yes, obvious," Dairine said. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were fashion impaired." They started out of the meeting room and despite how incredibly annoyed Roshaun was about her comments, he still listened patiently as she went through an entire list of all the parts of his royal attire that were, as she put it "fashion impaired."

"And t-shirts are better?" He cut in. Dairine paused and then snorted.

"What do you think, Einstein?"

"That is not my name."

"Whatever," Dairine said and started down the hallway again. Roshaun started after her, but stopped when he looked up abruptly to see his mother making her way down the hallway.

"Mother," He said, stepping forward and bowing.

"No formalities," She said quickly, "We just received word that one of neighboring planets is declaring war on us. Would you know anything about this?"

Roshaun frowned, "We just agreed in the council to go to war against those who would threaten the kingdom and the crown, why would they do that?"

She frowned at him, "I have an idea why and you are not going to like it." Roshaun glanced around and then turned his attention back at his mother.

"What is it?" He asked flatly. From his tone Dairine could tell he wasn't about to take any nonsense or lies for an answer. His eyes held certain amount of aggression that she hadn't seen before and she couldn't quite place why he was getting up in arms about his mother's statement.

She looked over at Dairine now, who in turn met the eyes of the Queen. "You should not have spoken in that council. The reason they have declared war is because you spoke before the royal king. They sense a weakness in the regime."

Dairine suddenly found her tongue glued to the inside of her mouth. She couldn't be sure that anything she said would help or hurt the situation and from Roshaun's expression, she could tell that he was struggling with the news.

"How did they respond so quickly?" He asked.

"I imagine they had people waiting to hear the results and perhaps they planned to declare war from the start," The Queen replied, "After all, with the former king dead, the time is ripe for war."

Roshaun paled slightly but remained firm in his tone and defiant in his expression, "We must prepare then."

"Yes," The Queen said. "But it will be better if Dairine leaves." Roshaun looked over at Dairine and then shook his head.

"She is here to help us and we cannot make her leave when she is on errantry from the Powers," Roshaun said. "I have spoken." The Queen looked at her son and then inclined her head.

"Then we must steel ourselves. The hardest part is yet to come."

**A/N- It's short, I know. But there will be more postings in the future. I am also having a bit of writer's block with this fic, so it's been slow moving (more so than my other fics). I'm hoping it'll pass soon though. Thanks for reading! **


	6. Miscalculations

**Chapter 4**

**Miscalculations**

_A/N- Hey! Long time no update, I know. Life's been crazy but I figured I'd try to post while there's a lull. Ish. _

_Anyhoo, I hope ya'll are doing okay (I prefer ya'll to you all, it sounds better) and aren't getting as sunburned in the summer heat as I am. Ha, is at an end and I'm back at college and will probably start posting more often as the year gets rolling.  
_

_Well, here's the update!  
_

_-Don ^_^_

* * *

Kit's mind was a practical place. It held logical thoughts, straightforward solutions to most problems and was quick to offer sarcastic or sassy comments where needed. At the moment it offered nothing but an extensive blank. They had pulled out of a travel spell in front of Kadarn's home and had simply stood there. It was only a matter of time before the martians noticed that they had stopped running and then, well, that was where Kit's mind was drawing a blank.

He couldn't fathom any situation where they wouldn't get the tar beaten out of them or where one or both wouldn't be in a compromising situation. That was another reason why he couldn't come up with any good logical ideas, because what they were doing right now went against all laws reason.

Kit's eyes left Kadarn's home and came to rest on Nita. She was staring out into the red horizon line with an unreadable expression and a squint in her eyes that indicated that either she was thinking hard about this or she was trying to clear her head.

"You think they'll bring torches and pitchforks?" Kit's eyes went up in surprise at her sudden comment. It was surprising that she had found humor in this at all, and not only that, she was smiling about it. Her head was turned a quarter of the way around, her eyes glowing with a confidence Kit knew he lacked at the moment.

"If they're smart, yeah," He replied, deciding now was a good time as any to play along with the joke. "They'd be better off with stake burning though."

"Kind of archaic to burn us at the stake though, don't you think?" Nita said, wrinkling her nose at the thought. "That's more for vampires or witches."

"Good thing we're wizards," Kit said with a grin, holding out his hand. She looked at it with a curious expression.

"Is this some kind of a trick?" She asked.

"What?" He blurted and then laughed, "As if I could ever trick you." Nita thought for a second and then nodded.

"Point," She took his hand and they stood in silence, watching as the dust clouds passed over the cracked ground on their ever circling journey of the planet's surface. The dust soon began swirling and then split apart as several martians in white robes stepped through it followed by a solitary martian in a dark robe. All of them strode quickly over to the two humans and stood in two lines of six. The dark robed martian inclined his head.

"Well met on the journey, Cousins," His eyes never left Nita except to occasionally glance at Kit. He wondered at this with apprehension. She had been right about them not attacking them offhand but that didn't mean that their intentions were pure.

"Dai," Nita and Kit said in unison, inclining their heads. The martian didn't say anything for a moment then he ran his hand over the leathery skin of his bare skull.

"I do not know why you ran, but the fact remains that you two are the last ones to see the Heart of Mars alive," He scowled at this and shot a disdainful glance at Kit before continuing, "One of you even had the gall to speak to the Heart. It makes me wonder if you two work for the Lone Power. Such strength to influence our source of light, it must be the Lone One."

"Believe me, that one is the last being we'd want anything to do with," Nita snapped and turned to see that Kit had put his hand on her arm. She hadn't noticed how quickly she had started to move forward to address the lies the martian was spouting. Kit's touch had been firm, but gentle in its comforting intention.

"What proof can you offer us that you are not servants of the Lone One?" The martian asked, raising a fist. It began to glow a bright blue and the martian turned his wrist and the light shot out at the two humans. Kit braced himself, raising his arm to shield his face.

The light shattered inches from them and the remaining sparks fell to the ground. "Enough."

"Polliagdor, dai stiho," Nita said, nodding to the alien. He inclined his head in return.

"It is good to see you up and about, Nita," He then returned his attention to the martians. "And I am appalled that you would strike another wizard, Eliach." The dark robed martian averted his eyes and scowled in a very pout-like way.

"The sacred Heart of Mars was destroyed," Another martian filled in, "These two were the last to speak to it." Polliagdor's eyes snapped sharply around.

"_You _spoke to it?" He demanded. Kit flinched.

"I just went to it to revive Nita," He said quietly. Polliagdor's eyes flared.

"But you spoke to it," He pressed. Kit nodded. The alien shook his head. "This is bad. A planet's speech is powerful enough to alter the very core of a being's existence. The security of Mars may have been compromised by your actions, Kit."

He looked down at his shoes and nearly jumped when he felt Nita's hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't Kit's fault. Kadarn told him to go down there."

"Kadarn would never do such a thing!" Eliach snarled. "You humans are arrogant enough to blame others for your faults!"

"Silence!" All eyes turned to Polliagdor. He had yelled in the speech, willing silence upon them all with his voice alone.

"Wait, how did you know Kadarn said that?" Kit asked, looking over at Nita. She paused, now realizing how strange her statement had sounded.

"I… my wizardry told me that's what happened," She answered in a low voice.

"Your wizardry?" Polliagdor repeated, his voice filled with even more disbelief than before.

"Do you mean to tell us that this human spoke to her own wizardry?" Eliach demanded with a scoff. "Ha. I have never heard such a lie." Polliagdor scrutinized Nita for a moment and then nodded.

"As unbelievable as this is, I believe you, Nita," He heaved a sigh, "However, this only increases the gravity of the situation."

Kit swallowed. "How does it do that?"

"To speak to the Heart of Mars, one must be dead," Polliagdor's eyes now rested solely on Nita. "It was not Kit who spoke to the Heart. It was Nita. She was given a gift that a planet can give a few times. This time was the last that the Heart had."

Eliach stepped forward and gestured to Nita as he growled, "Do you mean to tell us that this human was _given _the heart of Mars?"

Polliagdor scrutinized Eliach as though he were a pesky child who asked far too many questions. "Yes. Or to be more accurate, her wizardry accepted the heart of Mars as a replacement for the life she had already lost."

Kit looked from Polliagdor, to the Martians and then back at Nita, who was standing stock still, surprise and shock still on her face. "This is a heavy price to pay."

Kit stepped forward, "But she's not the one who decided to go down there. I should be the one to pay the price." Polliagdor looked down at Kit, sympathy lit in his eyes.

"Unfortunately that is not how it has panned out, Kit. You may have been the one who decided to ask to revive Nita, but it was her wizardry that handled the transaction. This is now her burden to bear." Polliagdor placed a hand on Kit's shoulder as he curled and uncurled his fists.

"Kit," Nita said sharply, "Let it go."

"This is an outrage. How will our planet survive without its heart?" Eliach demanded.

"If she is the heart then the planet will live so long as she stays here," Polliagdor said with a sad glance over at Nita and then at Kit. He jawed for a second.

"That's crazy! She can't stay here!" He surged forward only to be knocked back to the ground by the Martians. They had swarmed Nita and in a cloud of red dirt were gone. Kit's eyes bore into Polliagdor and he grabbed the alien's shirt.

"What the hell was that all about? She's not their property, damnit!"

"Your intentions may have been pure but you got here into this. Now it is your responsibility to either accept it or pay the price to get her out of it." He pried himself from Kit's iron grip and scowled at the human.

"Why could you not let the Powers handle this, Kit?"

"She was dead, Polliagdor, and I loved her too much to let it go. Not that I expect you to understand."

"I understand perfectly, Kit," Polliagdor said. "But sometimes what is lost must remain so." He stiffened "Despite my misgivings, I will help you to remedy this situation. But should I need to pull you out, I will for the good of wizardry and this universe."

"Fine," Kit seethed then he prepped a beam-me-up-Scotty spell. With a bang they were gone.


	7. Enigmatic Antics

**Chapter 5**

**Enigmatic Antics**

_A/N- I have been away for a long time due to my college work (which is done because I just graduated) and because of life in general. But I am now posting again and the official posting schedule is now on my profile page if anyone wants to know when chapters will be up. _

_If things are out of order it is because I got an idea for a new chapter before the other one was posted. Otherwise I should stick to the assigned schedule. Updates and changes will be announced either in author's notes and/or on my profile page. _

_Thank you for your patience,_

_-Don ^_^_

* * *

Nita sat in silence next to the Martian that had been assigned to watch her. She wondered where Kit was and if he was managing to keep his calm in light of their situation. But knowing her partner and best friend, she doubted that he was calm at all. He was never really calm where she was concerned. At first he was cool and it seemed like nothing could faze him. But then she noticed it after the Song of Twelve. She saw that little twitch in his smile when they got into a situation that threatened _her _life. The first time was when they were sitting at the breakfast table a few weeks after the song with Dairine. Every time after that seemed to weigh down further on his mind from what Nita could tell. Shortly after rescuing Daryl Dairine voiced her opinion the matter as usual.

_"So I thought that you were going to finally kick it and I'd get your room," Dairine said, giving her sister a disappointed shake of the head. "Shame, Nita. You're really losing your stuff."_

_Nita gave her sister a good natured glare and shrugged as she opened a can of her favorite soda, "Hmm, maybe I can ask Tom and Carl if there's something slightly more risky, then I'll actually be able to kick it Time Heart style." She laughed and Dairine even cracked a grin._

_"Yeah, have fun, make sure to write," Dairine said. Slam. Their heads whipped around. Kit's hand was shaking a little and gripping his soda tightly to the point that it was making a crinkling noise. His mouth was smiling but his eyes were strained. He had turned around then and walked right out the door._

_Nita had exchanged looks with Dairine before following him out. "Kit?" He was silent for a while, just standing there, fists clenched, facing the street, head lowered._

_"Why do you say stuff like that?"_

_"Like what?" Nita asked, still smiling but also starting to frown as he still hadn't turned around to look at her. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Kit, what do you-" She stopped when she saw the reason he hadn't turned to look at her. He was angry. That was plain as day, but there were tears threatening to escape his eyes as well._

_"Doesn't it bother you to talk about Time Heart like that?"_

_"Like what?" Nita asked. "Like it exists?" She raised an eyebrow at him._

_Kit clenched his jaw. "Don't be flip about it, Nita. How close do you have to be to dying for you to realize that it's not a joke?"_

_Nita sighed. "Kit, we've joked about it plenty of times. Why are you acting like this?"_

_He averted his gaze. "I've been thinking," He said slowly. "I don't like how close these last few times have been."_

Nita raised her head and looked around the hallway. Inside the doors to her left the other Martians were discussing her fate and just like Kit's worst fears had indicated, it was completely out of her hands. She had upset the balance of their world and thus couldn't fight whatever punishment they made her pay. Wizardry was about equal exchange. If you used power, you had to return it somehow.

"You seem oddly calm about this, Cousin." She turned to look at the Martian next to her. Unlike the others, this one wore a reddish brown robe and didn't look angry or aggressive. He was calm and much older.

She shrugged. "I guess I know that this is one situation I can't run from."

"That is admirable," The Martian said, "But foolish. Your partner would approve?"

Nita looked at the Martian with surprise. To her surprise he was smiling warmly. "Trust me, I know what love is, Young Wizard. What is your name?"

"Nita," She said. The Martian inclined his head.

"I am Re'yesh," He shook his head. "You will have to forgive an old alien for rambling. I recently lost my partner." Nita's lips parted but he held up a hand to stall any words. "She was a braver soul than I could have asked for. But she had a knack for being reckless. This was during the years when not all wizards lived in harmony with one another. We were fighting another race that was much like ours. Yet, we were so different. My partner and I were chosen to sneak in and ambush their camp. It seemed simple enough but she always took things one step further. She attacked, neutralizing them, but in her haste missed one of their soldiers," Re'yesh paused, smiling sadly, "The thing about wizards is, we often forget that not everyone is a wizard like us," He sucked in his breath, "There was only a split second before the soldier drew his sword and ran her straight through. I hit him with a spell few seconds later but by then my partner was lying on the ground, bleeding and there weren't any healing spells that could stop her from dying." He looked carefully at Nita, "So, you wonder why I bored you with this anecdote?" He shrugged. "Take what you will from it, but also know that your actions do not always affect only you. There is more to this life we live than just living and dying." Before Nita could say anything the doors opened and Re'yesh stood up. "Shall we?"

Nita stood up and followed Re'yesh into the council chamber. The architecture and design reminded her a little of a Roman council chamber, with the stairs acting as seats for the council, the pillars and the wide open space in the center for whoever was speaking. In the center stood a martian wearing the only green robe in the room. The lines on the face of the martian indicated he was probably older than most of those in the chamber, but much younger than Re'yesh.

"Stand here," Re'yesh said to Nita, gesturing to the space next to the green robed martian. He then walked and took a seat next to some of the other council members. The green robed martian lifted his hands and silence fell.

"My Bretheren," He said, "We are gathered here to determine the judgment of this wizard," He paused, looking around carefully for effect, "Who is responsible for the death of the Heart of Mars." Cries of outrage and anger echoed throughout the chamber but he held up a hand for silence once more.

"However, the Heart now lives in her," He looked sidelong, somewhat curiously at Nita, "Therefore we must be sure that whatever our actions may be," He held up a finger, "They shall be in the best interest of a fellow wizard and the very Heart of our planet." There were murmurs among the council members.

"My Duke," One said, bowing, "If what you say is true, then we are at her mercy.

"Not so," Re'yesh said, standing up and giving a respectful nod to Nita. "She is a wizard, a sentient being, and if I may say so, a being that deserves her own say in the matter. She did not ask for what happened, though her wizardry and our Heart may have chosen for her. It is done. Now we must look out for her as we would one of our own."

"Blasphemy!" Another council member cried, "Do you dare suggest we allow a foreign wizard have sway on the ways of our planet?"

"If I may," All eyes turned, quiet falling, and heads bowed, even the Duke bowed his head to the newcomer. In walked a martian, yet this one was different. She was almost the same skin tone as Nita, yet in some light the glow was like those of the other martians.

She was young, fair haired and wore rich gold robes with red ones similar to the priest's.

"The council welcomes you, High One," The Duke said, not raising his head. Nita couldn't help but continue to look at the woman.

"I greet you, Nita Callhan," The woman said. Nita felt a strange kinship to the woman before her, but she couldn't quite place why. "I cast my vote that Nita be educated of the ways of our planet and our history. Then she shall decide whether or not she wishes to stay."

"But, High One," The Duke said, other martian council members stood up in protest. She shook her head in dismissal.

"She is a living being, Bretheren," Her lips formed a thin line, "And therefore we must not harm her. It is not the way of the Martians to kill others."

Nita felt warmth and comfort from this woman, yet Nita still couldn't put her finger on why that was. "Come, Nita, I shall show you the great archives." Nita followed the woman out, but turned, concern on her face as she saw the misgiving looks that the council was throwing both of them.

* * *

Polliagdor and Kit arrived at the council chamber with Kadarn to guide them. The priest was reluctant at first to help, but then relented when he saw exactly who Polliagdor was.

"Forgive me, Guided One," Kadarn said, lowering his head as they approached the chamber. "I cannot go any further. My ways are not respected by the council. I wish you luck with your quest." Kadarn bowed.

"Thank you, Enlightened Pupil," Polliagdor said, bowing back. He then nodded to Kit and they entered the chamber.

"What is this? More humans?" The first outcry was silenced by the second.

"Silence!" The martian at the front in green robes commanded. "Hold your tongue. Can you not see he is one of the Gods?"

Silence fell. "Forgive us, Guided One," He glanced out at the council before returning his attention to Polliagdor.

"They did not recognize you," He lowered his head in reverence. Polliagdor nodded and Kit stepped into the chamber, awe lighting his face as he admired the architecture. It was like stepping into a different time period. The colors of the pillars, the arches, and the steps, were vibrant in color.

"Where are we?" Kit breathed when he finally had found his voice. Polliagdor turned to look at him, a smile crossing his face.

"Once upon a time there were many planets, who, like Earth, enjoyed bright colors, and building beautiful structures such as this. Then they became obsessed with darker desires."

"Out of necessity," Kadarn added, stepping over to the two. "I apologize, Guided One," He said, inclining his head, "I overheard." He looked at Kit, "We were once a proud race. But knowledge is as much a plague as it is a gift."

Kit knew this to be true. Sometimes he wondered if he needed to know everything about Nita, yet he did. He knew that she was vulnerable in ways that no one else could see and she rarely let them. She was creative, thoughtful, and had a keen sense of awareness. She was also brave enough to accept the harder aspects of life. Kit was not as brave as far as he could tell. He could tell he loved Nita but he couldn't be brave enough to brave life's challenges. Telling her was one of those challenges and he'd bumbled his way into saying something about it.

In fact, he had to be told by one of the Powers that Be to say something before he did. That proved Kit lacked something somewhere.

"Guided One, Wizard Christopher," Kadarn said, "You will follow me." He nodded to the council and began to walk out of the room. No sooner had his foot set down on the surface of the floor through the door Kadarn opened on the other side of the council chamber, than Kit felt himself unable to move and looked up to see the columns getting bigger. He was sinking.

"There are worse fates, Wizard," Kadarn said, "Than being eternally one within the planet's core."

"What?" Kit cried.

Kadarn's eyes seemed to lack sympathy as he said, "You made an error in thinking your partner would be the only one punished for desecrating our planet." He then turned on his heel and closed the door.

Kit looked down at the black mass sucking him down. He tried to pull himself up, reaching for the door handle, but it was out of his grasp.

"Powers, I sure know how to get myself into the worst messes," He looked around. He wasn't sure where Polliagdor had gone and he was sure that no one could hear him if he cried.

"Sorry, Neets," He said, "I guess this is one situation I couldn't get either of us out of." The mass then sucked him under and he braced himself as it covered his head.

**TBC….**


End file.
